With shovels in hand, elected leaders broke ground Wednesday at the Etihad Soccer Stadium in Queens, officially marking the start of construction on the project.

Audience members chanted “N-Y-C-F-C” as elected leaders spoke.

The 25,000-seat venue will be New York’s first professional soccer-specific stadium, and is being privately financed by the New York City Football Club or NYCFC.

“This project will forever change the landscape of New York,” City Councilmember Francisco Moya said.

The stadium will be next to CitiField in Flushing and is part of the development of Willets Point, which will also include a 250-room hotel, a 650-seat public school and 2,500 new affordable apartments. Buildings now under construction will house some of those units.

“Not only that we have a future in housing and education, but we have our first privately funded, professional, all-electric soccer stadium,” Mayor Eric Adams said.

Officials said Willets Point construction will create more than 14,000 construction jobs and, once it’s completed, at least 1,500 permanent positions.

Construction is also in the works for Seaver Way between Shea Road and Roosevelt Avenue to expand the road to make more room for cars and foot traffic.

Soccer fan Joseph Sullivan says he’s been waiting for this moment

“It’s a dream come true, something I think the whole city was missing,” Sullivan, who lives in Whitestone, said.

NYCFC says, in addition to soccer, the stadium will provide year-round events and programming with community partners.

Etihad Soccer Stadium is expected to open in 2027.